


My Darling, I Will Think of You

by TomorrowTakesForever



Category: NU'EST
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Domestic Fluff, M/M, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past!Minron, Single Parents, Slow Build, idiots to lovers, slight angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-19
Updated: 2020-08-19
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:08:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25872652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TomorrowTakesForever/pseuds/TomorrowTakesForever
Summary: The last time Hwang Minhyun had seen or spoken with Kwak Aaron was a decade ago and under the pretenses that dating each other had been a mistake.Except that ten years later, they meet again because their respective children have become best friends in Kindergarten.
Relationships: Hwang Minhyun/Aaron Kwak | Aron
Comments: 17
Kudos: 33
Collections: Nu'fics x The Parallel





	My Darling, I Will Think of You

**Author's Note:**

> If you're curious about the inspiration following this, I got the idea over a year ago as I came down from a shrine with weak knees and simply thought: “single dads au?” after seeing a ton of parents struggling with baby carriers/strollers and unending stairs. So much respect for single parents.
> 
> Nonetheless, I can finally post this and hope you enjoy the domestic MinRon struggles on their journey to become SuperDads.

_Two is company, three's a crowd._

Minhyun had marked and kept those words deep and engraved on his heart after repeating them to himself for the last few years. Even though other people probably used that phrase in another context, Minhyun learned to understand it _his_ kind of way and labeled his life as two and _only_ two. 

Dohyun—his soon-to-be five-year-old kid—and him. 

That's what his universe consisted of. He completely cut off social gatherings and stopped going to half-convincing, half-dangerous bars to meet potential partners with Minki as the mastermind behind every single blind date. Ever since Dohyun was born, he carried the “ _I’m a single parent_ and _a SuperDad at that,”_ badge on his bare chest, and even though he hired babysitters more often than not because of work, he could still bet his life on it. He really was trying and doing his best.

But in the present, he was currently feeling three hands short, juggling in between pouring milk properly, checking the watch on his wrist, _and_ flipping golden pancakes when he saw Minki’s picture flash on the screen of his phone on the other side of the table. Minhyun was ready to ignore and let his phone send him to voicemail (he only ever did that during meetings and on rare occasions when Minki called before Dohyun’s bath) but he sighed and stretched over the counter to put him on speaker mode.

“This better be an emergency.” Minhyun had long ago mastered the art of being everything but sensitive when it came to Choi Minki; they had been friends for over fifteen years, after all. 

“Oh, it _is.”_

_“What_?” 

Minki was quiet for a short second and Minhyun could picture his offense; he didn't mean to be so forwardly _annoyed_ , but he slept for five hours and that wasn't on his daily routine’s plan. “Damn. Who pissed in your cornflakes this early in the morning?” 

He groaned. “I'm cooking Dohyun’s breakfast. Can you call later?” 

“Oh, right. I forgot Dohyun started school today. Don't forget to send me a picture of his cute little outfit!”

How much of an emergency it could have been, Minhyun didn't know and he didn't find out either. But when he hung up, he figured it hadn't been one from the way Minki didn't call back or text him for the rest of the morning. 

Minhyun winced and cursed quietly under his breath at the look of the time. Last time he'd been twenty minutes off schedule, he'd been twenty-one and woken up on a stranger’s carpet with no socks on and a wet bandana on his forehead. 

“Dohyun! Breakfast’s ready!” 

Dohyun _was_ indeed wearing a _cute little outfit._ Minhyun didn't foully spend hours of his day at the office secretly online shopping for the nicest fits he could find on _OshKosh_ and _Kkami_ in vain. He liked to think (and also openly admit) of himself as a “natural talent” when it came to fashion, and dressing Dohyun would definitely _never_ be an exception. 

Minhyun placed the red plate (the one with the Spiderman print Minki had bought for Dohyun’s fourth birthday) on Dohyun’s side of the table, eyeing the kitchen counter carefully before sitting down in front of him and smiling like it physically pained him. To be fair, being introspective into Minhyun’s current inner turmoil, it probably _did_ hurt.

“Eat, honey. We're—” He checked the time on his phone, “we're— a few minutes off-schedule. But it's okay! No rush today.” 

Today was Dohyun’s first day of Kindergarten, but the teacher had mentioned to the parents through an introductory email that showing up late the first few weeks was alright. Most children were difficult to drop by when they weren't used to being alone without their parents or guardians, so there was a lot of understanding and no big deal over schedules. 

The television in the kitchen was more white noise to Minhyun than it was to Dohyun as he paid little to zero attention to the News Broadcast. Dohyun was eyeing him with a funny face, and Minhyun returned the smile easily. 

“Did you use the Mickey Mouse special mix?” Dohyun was chewing quietly, taking his time as usual. He nodded thoughtfully. 

“Is it good? It's not too sweet, right? Too hot?” 

Dohyun blinked, waiting in case he had anything else to add. “It’s good.” 

“I'm glad.” Minhyun winked at him with the silly smile he gave him every morning during breakfast. He didn’t really know how to wink, so it looked more like an overly long blink which made his kid laugh, “But you're not getting a second serving today, because you'll get snacks at school,” _and because we're already exceptionally late_. 

Dohyun whined and gave Minhyun the stink eye he typically used when he turned the television off and forced him to take a bath. “Now don't give me _that_ look. There's only one Hwang in this house allowed that attitude.” 

Minhyun wiped his hands on the fabric of his black slacks, standing up abruptly and taking a quick and panicked look at the kitchen. _Hellishly messy and never seen before_.

He wanted to bring out the vacuum and clean all the crumbs on the surface of the marble table, throw the envelopes of the “Mickey Mouse” quick pancake mixture in the trash bin, wipe the stove… but he swore he could hear the seconds ticking inside his head, so he started by putting the milk carton inside the refrigerator and wiping the tabletop half-assedly. Leaving the kitchen a little messy would _not_ kill him. 

“What kinda snacks?” Dohyun asked from his seat. Minhyun had about one hundred thoughts flying through his head at once as to why he couldn't even recall what conversation they were having a minute ago. 

“Oh, but it's not fun if I tell you.” Minhyun chastised. “You can find out in a couple of hours. Now come on, time to finish up.” He clapped his hands insistently, preparing his toothbrush and giving him the _Hurry-Up-Look_. Dohyun got up from his seat and took the brush from Minhyun with no question.

“You'll get lunch at school,” And maybe he'd said that already—he couldn't recall, “but I'm putting some rice balls in your lunchbox.” 

Dohyun nodded only to let him know that he'd heard him. Minhyun quickly took a look at the list of reminders written on his phone’s notes and figured that everything on the list was pretty much done with little trouble. They only needed to get inside the car and take it easy from there, but not before eyeing the corner of the room and looking over at the yellow backpack with Dohyun’s name written neatly with a permanent marker.

“Oh. Backpack check-up!”

Dohyun outwardly wailed. “But we already checked it _yesterday_.”

Minhyun looked at him as if he'd told a barely-amusing joke (it made Dohyun huff and cross his arms around his chest), but he showed him a determined grin and patted the top of his son’s head. “Double-check, sweetie.” 

“Fine.”

Minhyun was infinitely grateful that Dohyun wasn't being hard on purpose and was rather cooperative when he took a long look inside his bag despite looking a little too grumpy for a Kindergartner. In fact, Dohyun checked his backpack as an elementary kid would, and Minhyun didn't know why he felt so saddened all of a sudden. Dohyun was not his two-year-old toddler anymore—he was going to school today for the first time—and Minhyun was both proud and emotional about it.

He showed the proudest smile possible with a swollen heart; his hands itched to hold Dohyun and let him stay home because maybe he wasn't ready to let go of his little boy just yet. Instead, he flattened the tie on his own chest and smiled brokenly before clearing his throat. 

“Pencil case?”

“Got it.”

“Hand Sanitizer?” 

“Got it.” 

“Towel and cup?” 

“Here.” 

“Chopsticks?”

“Um.” Dohyun looked momentarily confused. “Inside my lunchbox?” 

He raised an eyebrow. “Lunchbox?”

Dohyun gave him the lunchbox with an expression that asked him to check it for him instead. Without complaints, Minhyun opened the lunchbox and nodded to himself at the mental checklist. “Yeah. All set here.” 

“Is that all?” 

“That's all,” Minhyun affirmed. He leaned to ruffle his hair with a kissy face that Dohyun chose to ignore with pouty lips. 

Minhyun was locking the back door behind him, ushering Dohyun to wait for him in the garage after he put his shoes on. His steps were a little lazy, but Minhyun held his hand and rushed him to their car with some enthusiastic song in between his lips. 

It was before opening the car door for Dohyun that he remembered his earlier conversation with Minki and he jumped in place to take his phone out and smooth the fabric of Dohyun’s shirt. 

“Minki wanted a picture. Show me your best smile!” Minhyun was already in the third picture before Dohyun could even properly spare a look at the camera. 

Dohyun easily slipped some funny poses and Minhyun laughed behind the screen of his phone, recording a short video too; _for the memories_ , he thought. Because _you're not a hard-working dad taking your kid to his first day of Kindergarten every day, now are you?_

“Alright.” Minhyun finalized. The last bits of his worry sliding off of his chest when he saw Dohyun’s smile and eager eyes. “Let's get moving!”

  
  


—

They were inside Dohyun’s classroom already. Minhyun had greeted the teacher with the same gentle smile he'd used on possibly every adult still present in his life. Dohyun hadn't been too shy and already waved at some other kids in the room. Minhyun was surprised at the number of children in one room at once, and he tried not to be biased, but his child _was_ indeed the cutest one in the entire homeroom. 

“Listen, I know it'll be a little difficult. And I know it'll be weird to see new faces or have to share your colored pencils and meet new people—” Minhyun was frenetic with his words, and even though his mouth was letting the words slip quicker than his thoughts were being processed, he looked down and his heart nearly stopped when he realized his son wasn't even listening to him. “Dohyun?”

Dohyun was too busy looking at another family, mouth slightly agape and blinking at the way a girl seemed to cry and hold onto her mother’s dress. 

“ _Dohy_ — _Hwang_ _Dohyun_.”

Dohyun turned to look at him and he didn't even look sure of what was going on. “Baby, were you even listening to me?”

When no response came, he shook his head in fake disbelief. “I was giving you a Prep-talk,” he tried to look hurt, “ _not_ cool, kid.” 

“Sorry.” But the little rascal gave him a smile that showed he wasn't sorry at all. He didn't even know what Minhyun was talking about. 

“Okay. Listen, have fun today, okay? And don't make any trouble?” Minhyun knew he wouldn't. Dohyun never gave anyone trouble because he was a real piece of sun, and Minhyun was about to start crying so he looked away and blinked before his emotions got the best of him.

“Okay, dad.”

Minhyun kissed his cheek, only to get him to wipe it off. He smiled real big at him, though. “I love you.” 

Dohyun stuck his tongue out in response. 

“Make lots of friends!” He waved from the doorstep. He walked slowly as if a force was keeping him inside the classroom. The force keeping him there was the denial of leaving Dohyun alone for a whole morning and afternoon with so many new people. “Eat all your veggies!” He kept straining his voice when Dohyun waved goodbye for the last time and sat down next to another boy and delved into a conversation as easy as day. “And make sure to listen to your… teacher.” He finished with a small voice.

He eyed a woman who had to get help from one of the teachers themselves to pull a little girl from her embrace. 

“They grow up real quick,” She said, looking like she'd slept the equivalent of negative two hours, “I've got two others at home. The first one didn't bat an eyelash at the idea of school, but Hyelin is too close to me.”

“My boy went in a minute ago.” Minhyun shared quietly. “He didn't even say goodbye properly.”

“Lucky.” 

Minhyun _didn't_ feel lucky though. He felt as though Dohyun had ditched him for the closest and first human in proximity and sight; for the first set of new crayons sprawled on the circular desks in the center of the room. The way other children seemed to have a catastrophic and devastating experience at the sole thought of leaving their parents made Minhyun’s heart bleed a lot.

He was meant to go straight to his office, but it wasn't like he wasn't already awfully out of schedule today. Minhyun called Minki through the car’s Bluetooth option and took the closest shortcut to his friend’s house, using the spare key unannounced as soon as he parked his car in the massive backyard. 

Minki was brushing his teeth and hummed in understanding when he saw the defeated look on Minhyun’s face. “Rough day?”

“Would you believe me if I said _‘not rough enough’?”_

“I knew you were a masochist, but what do you mean now?”

“Dohyun.”

Minki laughed and spit the toothpaste foam on the kitchen’s sink. “I know it's about Dohyun. You literally don't engage with other humans besides us both. What _happened_ , I mean?”

“He was so… _calm_.” Minhyun sat down on the high bar chairs on the counter. He looked at Minki like he was about to pop a vein in his forehead. “All the other kids were crying and screaming and Dohyun just… went in there and didn't make a fuss.”

Minki had _The Look_ which meant he was trying to put two and two together. He raised an eyebrow and clapped both hands when he reached a conclusion, quick enough. “Minhyun? Why do you look like you wanted your kid to make a scene?” 

Honestly, he hadn't thought of it like that, but Minhyun could give him a point for that one.

“Because maybe I _wanted_ a scene.” 

“Oh, this is by far the weirdest parental discourse I'll have with you this month.” He settled on the counter lazily and eyed him with actual interest. When Minhyun didn't say anything for a while, Minki held his arms up. “Well, go on.”

“I just… Do you think Dohyun needs a _mom_?”

Minki looked at him like he'd said the most stupid thing ever. (He _kind of_ had.) 

“ _No_ , I don't think Dohyun needs a _mom_ , Minhyun.”

“What does he need then?”

It was Minki’s turn to look like he'd pop a vein. “He needs _you.”_

“Okay. So am I doing something _wrong_?” Minhyun looked genuinely concerned. “Did I not nurture him enough? Do I not play with him enough? Should I play his favorite movies more often?”

“Minhyun, I seriously don't see why you think this is a problem.” 

“He didn't look _affected_ , Minki. Like, at _all!_ ” Minhyun looked at the tabletop. “All the parents had their children clinging _and_ crying. But Dohyun just… he looked so independent and ready to fly away from my nest and that made me sad.” 

“Minhyun, Dohyun is _four.”_

_“Almost_ five!” 

“He still classifies as a… _baby._ He's not independent _nor ‘flying away from your nest’.”_

“He didn't even say goodbye properly!”

Minki massaged the sides of his head, looking for the right words because Minhyun could get difficult and stubborn when he wanted to, “Dohyun is a very smart and good kid, Min. You should honestly be grateful and proud of him. He's a big boy with a big heart. He overcame this better than the other kids, which is positive.” 

“It just kinda hurt. I was jealous of all the parents there.” 

“How can you be jealous of your kid not snotting and wailing because he won't see you for a few hours?” Minki shrugged, “He doesn't see you all those hours anyway. When you're at work, it's the same thing.”

“You just don't—”

“‘ _—get it because you're not a parent’,_ yeah I know _,_ Minhyun _._ But I think I don't need a degree in parenting to understand that Dohyun acted like a very well-mannered child and went inside the class like a _champ.”_

Minhyun went quiet, and that was a rare thing to accomplish whilst in discussion _with_ Hwang Minhyun. “You think?”

“Stop worrying and over-analyzing. Your kid loves you the most in this world. And more so because he knows you're raising him alone and he understands it perfectly well. Kids are the most empathic and sensitive human beings.” 

“I guess you're right.” 

“I'm always right.”

“Okay. I guess I'll get going, then.”

“Yeah. Say hi to Dohyun for me. Tell him _Uncle Minki_ is proud.” 

Minhyun nodded, “yeah, yeah.” 

Before leaving his house though, he shot a soft smile at his friend. “Thanks for that.” 

Minki looked like he didn't mind it, but Minhyun knew better. “You know I'm always more than happy to put some sense inside that senseless head of yours.” 

  
  
  


—

  
  
  


Minhyun was a busy man. He needed babysitters for Dohyun more often than not, even though his job was relatively easy as he was his own boss and the boss of hundreds of other people. He had to sign contracts and hold important meetings with other landholders and this was something that bothered him the most when it came to spending time with Dohyun. 

He'd get home late most days of the week. Dohyun was usually napping when he arrived, and the babysitters all lasted him enough days to count with both hands and have fingers to spare from all the bold advances they'd attempt when they found out he wasn't only hot and single, but also madly rich. 

Minhyun wasn't stupid, and sadly for them, he wasn't into women either. He'd finally accepted it quite late despite thinking he could give both men and women an equal chance, but he'd chosen to ignore it because _two is company, three’s a crowd._ He didn't have time for dates, and truthfully, he'd never quite loved a partner after his high school boyfriend moved out of the country and they broke up over misunderstandings and miscommunication. After high school, he used to say that he was bisexual until he came into terms with himself and accepted his homosexuality after all the failed attempts of building relationships with women throughout college. Relationships that had once resulted in an unplanned pregnancy that Minhyun was very much not ready for; he wasn’t even finished with his degree and he was being overwhelmed with a responsibility much bigger than his own life.

He was singing along to a song playing on the radio when he reached Dohyun’s Kindergarten. He was fifteen minutes early, therefore he waited inside the car for a few minutes until he decided to get out of the car and walk around for a little. 

Some other parents started arriving a few minutes later and Minhyun was feeling extra giddy when he thought of Dohyun. He would take him out for pizza later, having excused himself off from work for the rest of the afternoon. 

When the doorbell signaled the end of the day, Minhyun huddled towards the door and caught a glimpse of Dohyun. He smiled at the sight of him helping the teacher throw waste paper on the bin; he waved at him from the door when Dohyun saw him. 

Dohyun smiled so wide it made Minhyun’s previous over-analytical stances drain out of his system like honey dribbling from a spoon. 

“Dad!” Dohyun ran to him with both hands full. One carried a piece of paper and the other carried his backpack. Minhyun held out his hand to take the bag himself, and Dohyun gave him the picture. 

“Look, it’s you!” He showed off, and Minhyun looked at the drawing with eyes full of unshed tears from this morning. “We had to draw our family. This one’s you and the smaller one is me.”

“And who’s this?” He asked at the sight of another stick-figure next to them. He wondered if it was his mother, but before he could think about that, Dohyun smiled. “It’s uncle Minki.”

“Oh, that's _so_ good, Dohyunnie.” He said with a shaky voice. “I love it so much.” (He ended up framing it and putting it on his office’s wall a few weeks later.) 

They made their way back to the car, holding hands and Dohyun looking as enthusiastic as he had looked when Minhyun took him to Legoland for his birthday last May. 

“Today was so fun, dad!” 

Minhyun had an emotional beam on his face. “Oh, really? Baby, I'm so happy. What did you do today?”

Dohyun spoke like he hadn't spoken in weeks, big gestures with his hands, and clear expressions. “There's this boy in my class. He’s a year older than all of us but he's so quiet. He spoke to me the most today, though. I really like him.”

Minhyun hummed. “What did you talk about?”

“Spiderman. He likes him, too.” Dohyun looked at Minhyun with big eyes. “We had the _same_ lunchbox, dad.” 

“That's a great coincidence.”

“Coinfidence?”

“ _Coincidence_ ,” Minhyun repeated. “Like a lucky connection.”

“Yeah!” Dohyun agreed. “It was a big _coinfidence_.” 

Minhyun laughed, looking at Dohyun with a warm smile. “What else did you do today?”

“We all had to talk about something we liked.”

“Is that so?” Minhyun grinned, and he spoke again. “Speaking of things you like, we’re having pizza for dinner tonight.” 

Dohyun gasped and he jumped energetically in place. He seemed to stop his actions at a thought though. “Is Hakyeon at home now?”

Minhyun shook his head. “He's not coming today. I'm staying with you at home this afternoon.” 

Dohyun returned to his celebration and continued his previous recounting of events as he told Minhyun all about his new teacher and with a small laugh that: “ _the snack today was jelly,”_ along with some funny stories of him and the new kids he met. He mostly talked about his new friend, _Myungsoo_ , who was apparently turning six this year as he started school a year later than the rest. Dohyun recalled he couldn't remember his last name but that it was a ‘cool one’ and that he liked the same dinosaurs as him and that they played with building blocks together all morning. 

And that's what their conversations turned out to be for the following weeks. Dohyun told him in detail about all the activities and songs they were learning at school. He brought home letters other classmates wrote for him (consisting of wiggly lines and not really legible letters that Dohyun _assured_ he could read), and drawings he'd do in his free time. Driving to school had become a common moment when Dohyun talked the most about the boy he'd befriended over the last few weeks. He asked Minhyun to get snacks and shared them with his friend at school, and Minhyun would be lying if he said that he didn't find it the most endearing. Myungsoo himself had given Dohyun a few gifts and Minhyun listened carefully whenever Dohyun introduced his experiences as the next topic for dinner. 

Dohyun was learning how to read now too, so he'd keep himself busy reading tags on the supermarket and asking his father whether it was okay to buy pocky for the following day’s snack. 

It was a little upsetting when Minhyun had to return immediately to work after picking Dohyun up from school, but Hakyeon was the most understanding babysitter they had in _years_.

Male babysitters were extremely rare, but it allowed him to be calmer because Hakyeon wasn't constantly flirting with him or filling his kid’s head with weird antics. Hakyeon was Minki’s friend’s cousin and had been a loyal babysitter for nearly eight months now. So Minhyun didn't have the urge to make a whole background check as to who he allowed inside his house and who could take care of his child whenever he was absent. 

Eventually, the question about inviting Myungsoo over for a playdate surfaced during dinner. Of course, the conversation of having Myungsoo over had been discussed a few times in the past, and Minhyun promised he could come over next week when he had a day off at work. Mainly so he could be at home and stay with them both; Minhyun already had a soft spot for Myungsoo because of all the heart-warming stories Dohyun had told him about, and he was curious to meet him and his parents too. 

Minhyun was always strict on schedule, and breaking said schedule was one of the biggest no-nos. Dohyun never complained because he'd been raised this way throughout the years, but it had always been a little weird that Minhyun had never seen Myungsoo’s parents before. He'd seen Myungsoo a lot of times now whenever he picked Dohyun up, and he always bowed but seemingly mostly out of shyness. 

Yet he'd never seen Myungsoo’s parents before because Minhyun was always in a rush whenever he picked Dohyun up, and neither parent of Myungsoo was ever as early as him for them to cross paths. 

But as Dohyun had been bugging Minhyun about having Myungsoo over to their place for the last couple days, he decided to wait around the school’s gates the very next day with Dohyun next to him. Minhyun explained that he needed to meet Myungsoo’s parents first so that they could make an arrangement and discuss a convenient date.

He was catching up on some texts from the night before when Dohyun pulled at his dressing pants with uncalled-for desperation. 

“That's Myungsoo!” Dohyun announced with the widest smile he'd ever seen from him. He held the straps of his backpack and started to run towards the direction of a kid slightly taller than him, equally as cheerful when he saw Dohyun too. The boy’s father was taken by surprise and sped up right after his son, to which Minhyun unconsciously followed. 

Minhyun looked at the two children with a parental smile that he'd gotten ever since Dohyun turned one year old. He looked at them for another second before turning his attention to the other man who finally caught up with them and Minhyun smiled kindly. 

“You must be Myungsoo’s father— _”_ Minhyun looked up and a sudden shock rooted him on the spot. All the healthy color drained from his face as soon as he watched the other man fall into the same kind of realization.

And it all made so much sense then. That Myungsoo could speak English. That Myungsoo liked SpiderMan. That Myungsoo was such a lovely, well-behaved kid and— and maybe it was the universe’s wicked way of making Minhyun’s kid be involved so deeply with… _Kwak_ Myungsoo. 

He did what he did best, and pulled an attempt of a polite smile despite his mad heart thundering in his chest. “ _You've got the be fucking kidding me._ ” It was as soft as a sigh crossing his mind, and thankfully the other man hadn't heard him. Minhyun proceeded to hold out the silence and bow as he would to the biggest of strangers. And that was exactly where he royally fucked up.

“I'm Hwang Minhyun. Pleased to meet you.” 

The male in front of him raised both of his thick-set eyebrows as if he didn't expect that scenario to happen, and it physically alarmed Minhyun how they had remained exactly the same shape even after ten years. 

“Hwang Minhyun.” His expression changed. It no longer looked shellshocked nor expectant; it was more like the reflection of a person who'd just seen the most ridiculous circus act in his life. And Minhyun _did_ feel like a clown, so he couldn't blame him. He regretted his previous words as soon as the male turned his gaze more hostile. “I'm Kwak Aaron.” 

The air around them had increased and shifted to an uncomfortable end. Minhyun realized that both of their kids were looking at them like they knew what was going on even though they could only _wish_ , and he felt absolutely guilty because it was all on him. He shouldn't have done that. He shouldn't have pretended to not know Kwak Aaron. 

“Anyway, uh. This is a little sudden. Maybe Myungsoo mentioned it to you, but Dohyun wanted to invite him over to our house for a playdate.”

His head was spinning, and the uncomfortable shift seemed to overpower every other emotion when both of the boys started to smile and nod. Dohyun was being loud and Myungsoo was laughing and _Aaron—_ Aaron was _looking_ at him and Minhyun only wished he could disappear into thin air. He hated how he was looking at him; with feelings hurt and badly concealed displeasure.

“The kids are gonna be late,” Aaron pointed out and Minhyun wished he hadn't outwardly winced. “Let's discuss this in detail after sending them off.”

Minhyun felt nauseous. “Yeah. Let's... do that.”

Both of the kids walked next to each other a few feet ahead, and Minhyun pretended to text someone even though he was very much writing keyboard smashes on a note on his phone. Aaron was a few steps behind him, and Minhyun grew anxious. He couldn't even engage in any awkward conversation because of what he'd done earlier—and he felt plain ridiculous. 

Minhyun swore years ago that he hated Aaron and everything that had to do with him more than anything in this world, and the mere memory of his high school days made the ants he ate when he was young crawl in his belly.

They both said goodbye to their respective children with despondent expressions, and Aaron walked ahead of him in a posture that clearly conveyed that he wanted Minhyun to follow him. 

He found the whole scene heartbreakingly familiar. Even so, he wasn't here to get a kiss or confession like his teenage heart had once expected to happen. He was here with a very discontent ex-boyfriend from years ago who seemed a minute away from cursing him and slapping his face. 

He didn't though (of course he wouldn't) because Kwak Aaron was highly moral and well-educated and he would never be as low as him. He only looked at him with disappointment. Minhyun could taste it on the tip of his tongue and it was bitter. 

Aaron looked at him through his long, dark eyelashes and a furrowed brow when they reached the small field outside of the school. “Are you done now?” 

No sound could come out in response. Aaron kept looking at him, and it wasn't helping at all. “Done pretending?” He laughed with no amusement in his voice; it hit somewhere close to his heart. “Why would you do that, Minhyun? Is this a _joke_ ?” The grudge in his voice was evident. Kwak Aaron’s pride had been popped with a needle and it was Hwang Minhyun’s doing all over again. History _did_ repeat itself in unfair ways. 

“How— Oh, this is priceless.” Aaron continued, the same expression on his face. Minhyun felt more uncomfortable minutely, but he remained wordless because no excuse seemed fitting enough. “In another case, I would have asked you how you've been. But after this— I don't think I can find it in myself to be friendly.” 

That struck Minhyun in every wrong way, though. “Oh, get the fuck off your high horse.” Minhyun snapped, and he figured that their first meeting after a decade wouldn't be anything like he'd pictured or dreamed about. “Don't act as if I was gonna celebrate and smile at the sight of you.” 

“Did you even think twice about it? It's ridiculous that you'd pull such a stunt! We're not seventeen anymore, Minhyun.” 

It momentarily stunned him that Aaron had used his name, but he tried to shake it off with a scoff and clear glare. “Oh, I'm sorry for holding resentment against the man who said _‘dating you was a mistake’_.” 

“I never said—” Aaron looked at Minhyun with great repudiation. “You're unbelievable. You _really_ are unbelievable.”

“This isn't about you and me, anyway,” Minhyun said with raw emotion. “Because even if I can't stand the idea that I have to see you _here_ out of all the places, my son really likes _yours_. And I've heard a lot about him, and I think he's lovely.”

Aaron didn't know exactly what to reply because Minhyun had just given him a low blow but validated his child. He looked immensely confused and his frown never left his face.

“I don't understand what you're trying to imply.” 

“I'm implying that my kid and yours have a great relationship and I will act accordingly courteous with you when it comes to our kids.” 

Aaron laughed and Minhyun got chills at the sound of it. “Courteous? _You?”_ The stupid, disbelieving smile never felt so obscenely baffling. “You're saying that as if you didn't just act like you didn't know who the hell I was.”

“I didn't know what to say! And my kid was probably gonna ask me where I knew you from and I wasn't in the mood to explain it to him. You can't blame me!”

“Do as you wish. You always do it your way, don't you.” Aaron finally said, and it looked dismissive. “Myungsoo mentioned Dohyun wanted to invite him over next Thursday. I'll give you my phone number and please text me the details beforehand.”

Minhyun hid the way he wanted to say sorry very well. He was stubborn and wasn't going to let Aaron see his vulnerability this soon, even if he felt the remorse biting at his fingertips already. He watched Aaron type his phone number and Minhyun was relieved at the fact that he had deleted Aaron’s contact all those years ago in case he kept the same old phone number. (Later when he checked, he realized that Aaron had indeed kept the same number; how Minhyun knew his number by memory even to that day, was a painful reminder of their late-night calls and texts ten years ago.)

There was a long silence and the whiplash was very hurtful. It was as if looking at Aaron’s face over again was opening up all the healed wounds from before and pouring salt all over. The tension grew with all the questions left unasked (because God knew how many things Minhyun had been meaning to ask; most importantly “ _did you have breakfast yet?”_ because Minhyun had pretended not to care about little details when he _did_ care. He cared _so much_.)

He wondered if Aaron could read his mind, because for a minute when they glanced at each other for a second too long, Minhyun thought Aaron would say that it was okay. That he forgave him for being such an idiot because Minhyun was itching to _suck it up and say sorry, for fucks sake,_ but his pride was more venomous and stopped him and it was too late when Aaron opened his mouth. 

“Also Minhyun, I don't hold _anything_ against you.” It was cold-hearted and it left the same kinds of nasty feelings in his chest, feeling so much like a dejavú. “Even if it went like this, I don’t… _God_ , I didn’t want it to go like this.” 

And with that, Kwak Aaron was gone, walking steady and gaze low. Highlighting that Hwang Minhyun was as much as a coward as the high schooler that had broken up with Aaron a decade ago.

It reminded him of that day too, except Aaron wasn't looking back at him with tears in his eyes and furrowed eyebrows. No. This was a grown-adult version of Kwak Aaron he would have never imagined; one with his own child and probably a wife waiting for him to get home. 

After all, maybe this situation was still similar to the one from ten years ago.

By the reason that ten years ago, Minhyun had regretted ever saying those words to him that night, and today, years later, he felt just the same. 

**Author's Note:**

> What a big "coinfidence" to see you here. Leave a comment or kudos if you liked it? Greatly helps me and puts the biggest smile on my face! 
> 
> My [Twitter](https://twitter.com/dabbingminhyun) if you'd like more Minron on the daily.


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